Diwali recipes

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Godhumai adai or wheat flour onion adai is an easy dinner idea with simple ingredients, yet makes an amazing dinner. One can call this south Indianized onion paratha! Who cares about the name when it tastes awesome. My mom makes this for dinner and I was not a big fan of this before marriage…And after marriage when I made this,my hubby loved it and me too realized the taste and flavour of this one and started liking this! I made this yesterday for dinner… Flavoured with sambar powder,its truly south Indian!

Ingredients: (makes 6 adais)

Wheat flour

1 & 1/2 cups

Onion

1 , big sized

Sambhar powder

1 & 1/2 tsp

Turmeric

1/4 tsp

Curry leaves

1 sprig

Salt

1 tsp

Water

As needed

Jeera (optional)

1 tsp

Method:

Chop the onions finely, add the chopped onions,turmeric,sambhar powder,salt,curry leaves to the flour and mix well.

Add water (for me it consumed 1/2 cup plus little more) and make a smooth dough. Divide into six equal sized balls.

Take a polythene film over a platform and grease it with few drops of oil. Flatten the dough ball with hands into a little bit thicker than roti.

Heat a flat pan,drizzle with oil and toast the adai both the sides in medium flame till golden brown spot appears.

Serve hot with raitha of your choice…my mom makes a raita with golden fried onions+curd,seasoned with mustard,urad dal and curry leaves. The best combo for this adai.

I dint add jeera. You can also add the onions to the adai after sautéing it. Also you can add a chopped tomato,after frying it… Replace sambar powder with 1 tsp of red chilli powder and 1/2 tsp dhaniya (coriander) powder. Apt for dinner!

Entry for the Festive food-His cooking event :

VERMICELLI UPMA

I some how made him cook this upma for me this weekend,to send entry to Priti’s event. He was more than happy and made this for me!
Even he got too enthusiastic and made semiya kesari too as additional treat for me .

Ingredients:

Vermicelli/semiya

1 cup

Onion

1 no.

Green chilli

2 nos.

Salt

As needed

Water

1 & 1/4 cup

To temper:

Mustard

3/4 tsp

Urad dal

1/2 tsp

Channa dal

1 tsp

Curry leaves

1 sprig

Method:

Roast semiya with a tsp of oil and fry till just the semiya turns golden yellow here and there.

Heat a pan with oil and season with the items given under To temper table.Add sliced onion and green chillies,fry till transparent.

Then add water and bring it to boil,add the vermicelli. Add salt and mix well. Cook covered in low flame for 4-5 minutes.

Add coconut oil few drops if you like. I had with chutney,my hubby likes with curd and sugar.

Friday, May 21, 2010

A simple gravy which goes well with rice. Though we call the gravy as chutney. As many will get confused,I just posted as gravy. After marriage when I made this for the first time,my hubby loved this so much,till date,he prefers this than sambhar…He just loves the crunchy onion chunks in the gravy. Me too for the same reason love this! We can make the same with yellow pumpkin and also potato. So here’s the recipe!

Monday, May 17, 2010

How to make peas pulao, with step by step pictures. Peas pulao is an easy and simple pulao that you can make in a jiffy, yet flavorful and so satisfying.
I posted peas pulao and ginger garlic paste in one post, but when people search for it, it is not visible. So thought of posting as a separate post. So this is an old post re-posted.
Peas pulao is a simple recipe, but for beginners it might be bit challenging to get the colour right, rice cooked to perfection etc. The main thing one have to keep in mind to get good coloured pulao is not to change the colour of onion or ginger garlic paste to brown. This way the pulao comes out decently white. Also use good quality rice and fresh peas. Goes well with any paneer gravies like paneer makhani, paneer butter masala or paneer mirch masala. Even goes well with dal like dal makhani or dal tadka and a subji.

Peas pulao recipe

How to make peas pulao, with step by step pictures. Peas pulao is an easy and simple pulao that you can make in a jiffy, yet flavorful and so satisfying.

Ingredients

Basmati rice - 1 cup

Peas - 1/3 cup

Onion - 1

Green chillies - 2

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Salt - as per ur taste

Water - 1 & 1/4 cup

To temper

Oil+ Ghee - 2 tbsp

cinnamon - 1 inch piece

Shahi jeera - 1 tsp

Bay leaf - 1

Method

Soak the basmati rice for atleast 10 minutes.Slice the onion and slit the green chillies. Heat a cooker, add oil+ ghee, temper with the items given under to temper table. Add the onion,green chillies and reduce the flame and fry for a minute (Onion should not change its colour).Add the ginger garlic paste and again fry for a minute.Add the peas(I used frozen) and fry in low flame for 2 minutes.

Add the soaked rice,salt and water and mix well.Let it boil and then close the cooker and reduce the flame to low and cook for 10 minutes. Or give 2 whistles in medium flame.Let the pressure get down by itself and then fluff carefully and serve hot with any rich gravy or simply dal or subjis.

Note:

Never fry the onions and ginger garlic paste in high flame or till burnt,which will give a dull coloured pulav!

You can also use thin coconut milk in place of water,which enhances the taste.

Mint and coriander leaves 2 tbsp can be added after opening the cooker.

Do not stir when the pulao is hot after opening. It will break the rice. Just carefully fluff the rice by turning it from bottom to top once or twice.

I used to buy ginger garlic paste in the stores, after I started cooking . My parents side and in-laws side still wont use Ginger garlic paste in any of there cooking😮!! Even if I cook for them anytime,I use it carefully that they wont know that smell 😦. I used to buy a famous brand in Mustafa where I do my monthly groceries shopping,then one fine day I could not find that and I was sceptical in buying/trying the other brands,then friends suggested this and that and hooked on another brand,again that too disappeared!😰 . It always happens there,suddenly the usual brand they keep will disappear and another new one will be there…the problem is…. that’s the only shop where I do the shopping…
You may wonder why I didn't tried at home,well ,every one needs a good reason to start something new right!! I am first of all lazy,the second thing is I tried once or twice and I don't know where I went wrong,the ratio or what,but it dint smell good!

GINGER GARLIC PASTE

INGREDIENTS

Ginger chopped roughly

3/4 cup

Garlic flakes ( Big variety)

1 cup

Turmeric

1/4 tsp

Oil

3/4 tbsp

Method:

Peel the ginger skin( I get big palm size ginger,so I use the vegetable peeler and just peel the skin of ginger) and garlic ( I took garlic flakes from 3 –4 whole bulbs).Take equal amount,first grind ginger for a minute with turmeric and oil and then add the garlic.

Grind to a smooth paste. Don’t use your hands to mix at any time while grinding,use spoon.Transfer the paste to clean air tight containers and store in refrigerator. You may use for a month if you handle well.

Note:

Use always clean spoon.Never let your hand touch the insides of the mouth of the bottle while you scoop the GG paste. Other wise it will ruin and turn black in the sides.

Take out of the fridge only when you need and keep back immediately after you use!

Turmeric and oil gives a good colour and they serve as natural preservatives too!

And now a simple recipe that you can find every where ,still I am posting :

PEAS PULAV /PULA0 / PILAF

INGREDIENTS

Basmati rice

1 cup

Peas

1/3 cup

Onion

1, large

Green chillies

2

Ginger garlic paste

1 tsp

Salt

as per ur taste

Water

1 & 1/4 cup

To temper:

Oil+ Ghee

2 tblsp

Pattai /cinnamon

1 inch piece

Jeera/Shahi jeera

1 tsp

Bay leaf

1

Method:

Soak the basmati rice for atleast 10 minutes.Slice the onion and slit the green chillies. Heat a cooker, add oil+ ghee, temper with the items given under to temper table. Add the onion,green chillies and reduce the flame and fry for a minute (Onion should not change its colour).Add the ginger garlic paste and again fry for a minute.Add the peas(I used frozen) and fry in low flame for 2 minutes.

Add the soaked rice,salt and water and mix well.Let it boil and then close the cooker and reduce the flame to low and cook for 10 minutes. Or give 2 whistles in medium flame.Let the pressure get down by itself and then fluff carefully and serve hot with any rich gravy or simply dal or subjis.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

One day I was very much confused what to make for dinner and asking my friends I chat with ,what their plans for dinner.Then suddenly this simple yet very flavourful one I got to remember,try once,may be you like it too! I wanted this to be in my space as this is a family favourite! My mom makes another variant too,which I will post later…This recipe will sound like pongal+Upma…but trust me,the taste is nothing related to any of these dishes..!
I served with coconut thogayal,I just made a variation of adding a sprig of curry leaves in it …